The UTRGV men’s basketball team picked up their second straight conference victory Saturday, defeating the Utah Valley Wolverines 76-68 at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg.
The victory marked the first time this season the Vaqueros have won back-to-back contests and improved them to 2-4 in WAC play.
The Vaqueros jumped on the Wolverines from the opening tip, nailing five of their first eight shots to take an early 14-6 lead.
An 8-2 run by the Wolverines later in the contest cut the Vaqueros lead to two, but the Vaqueros responded with a run of their own to build the lead back to five at the break.
The Wolverines pulled within one possession on multiple occasions during the second half, but the Vaqueros responded each time, icing the game down the stretch at the free throw line.
Senior Daylen Williams led the Vaqueros with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists. Freshman J.J. Howard scored 14 points, adding a career high-tying three blocks and two steals. Elijah Elliot, Ahren Freeman and Hasan Abdul-Hakim each added double-digit scoring performances, finishing with 14, 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Trevin Dorius led the Wolverines with 14 points and eight boards. Jaden McClanahan chipped in 12 points, while Drake Allen added 11 points.
UTRGV looks to continue its winning streak at 7 p.m. Thursday, taking on UT Arlington at the College Park Center in Arlington.
